De Floriani Elected President of the IEEE Computer Society

A University of Maryland expert in geospatial data visualization has been elected to a leadership position at one of the world’s foremost professional computing organizations.

Leila De Floriani, a professor in the Department of Geographical Sciences with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, has been chosen by her peers to lead the IEEE Computer Society.

De Floriani will serve as the society’s 2019 president-elect and 2020 president, providing leadership and direction to the organization’s officers and programs that serve more than 60,000 scientists worldwide.

“I am honored to be of service to an organization that is recognized as a computing professional's single, unmatched source for technology information, inspiration and collaboration,” De Floriani says.

As president, she plans to enhance the organization’s impact and improve its outreach to members in all regions.

This includes bolstering membership-based programs such as student and professional chapters, improving communication services for non-English speaking members, and highlighting global technical events through efforts like the IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Visitors Program.

De Floriani says enhancing the society’s inclusiveness is another major goal. She wants to improve diversity through expanded outreach activities and increase the involvement of women and other underrepresented groups—both as volunteers and in leadership positions in publications, conferences and the organization’s governance.

De Floriani will also work to promote the enhancement of service recognition to society members as a further appreciative step for involvement in the organization’s activities.

“I am also very committed to the growth of students and young professionals,” she adds. “Activities and resources in support of new generations of scientists and engineers will be a priority in the operation of the IEEE Computer Society.”

De Floriani is a noted expert in geometric modeling and scientific visualization who has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications in data visualization, geospatial data representation and processing, computer graphics, geometric modeling, and shape analysis and understanding. She has received several best paper awards and invitations as a keynote speaker.

Her research has been funded by numerous national and international agencies, including the European Commission and the National Science Foundation.

In addition to her appointment at UMD, in the past, De Floriani has served as a professor at the University of Genova, Italy and has held a number of positions at academic and research institutions in the U.S. and Europe.